Variable-friction gear



April 28, 1931. c. T. SMALL 1,802,484

VARIABLE FRICTION GEAR Orignai Filed Feb- 17, 1926 Fig.1.

i l l m @El 12 mlllmi i 3 16 13 EEST /Y 17 s e Inventor C.T.sma11Patented Apr. 28,` 1931 UNITED STATES "PATENT orificev oHnsLEY '.r.SMALL, ors'LLorTIs,` MISSOURI VARIABLE-rarorron GEAR Originalapplication filed February 17,1926, Serial No. 88,765. Divided and thisapplicationfiled.l

February 25, 1928.

My invention relates to a variable friction gear and is particularlyadapted for drivingl the feed reel of a can filling machine, such asthat shown and described in my application Serial No. 88,765 filedFebruary 17, 1926, which application resulted in Patent No. 1,776,263 ofJune 24, 1930, of which application the present application is adivision. It may be used, however, in other constructions where it isdesirable to vary the ratios between a driving and a driven member.

1n the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one form of gear made inaccordance with my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation; Figure 2 isa view taken at right angles to Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a sectiontaken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

The frame of the machine comprises four corner parts or uprights two ofwhich 1 and 2 are shown in the drawings. Secured to the upright 1 is abearing 3 in which is ournaled a shaft 4, to which power is applied bysuitable gearing (not shown). Clamped to the upright 1 above the bearing3 is sleeve 5 carrying an arm 6 provided with a hub 7 in which isjournaled a shaft 8. Mounted on this shaft is a friction disk 9 on thehub 10 of which is a sprocket gear 11 connected by a sprocket chain 12with a sprocket gear 13 on the driving shaft 4. Mounted on the shaft 8adjacent to the first named friction disk is a second friction disk 14which is forced toward the disk 9 by a coil spring 15 surrounding thehub. The tension of the spring may be varied by a cap 16 bearing againstit and adjustable by means of a nut 17. The opposing faces of the disksare slightly beveled, as shown in somewhat exaggerated form in Figure 3.Arranged between these disks is a third friction disk 18 having,adjacent to its periphery on each side, a narrow portion 19 beveled tocorrespond to the bevel on the opposing faces of the disks 9 and 14. Thedisk 18 is mounted on a shaft 20 so as to rotate therewith but to becapable of slight longitudinal movement relative thereto. This shaft isjournaled at the inner side of the disk in an arm 21 pivoted at 28 tothe sleeve 5 and at the outer side of said disk to a Z-shaped pieceserial No; 256,998.

22 carried by the arm. Onv the shaft 20, adjacent to ythe arm 21, is asprocket wheel 23 around which passes a sprocket chain 24 which alsopasses around a sprocket wheel 25 on the driven shaft 26. This shaft isjournaled in a bearing 27 mounted on the upright 2 and extending to thedriven mechanism, in this case the feed reel (not shown) of the fillingmachine.

In order to swineV disks 9 and 14 to vary the speed of transmission,said arm is provided with a swiveled internally threaded eye 29 engagedby a threaded rod 30. The threaded rod 30 is journaled in a swiveledblock 31 carried by an arm 32 carried by an extension 33 of the arm 6and has at its lower end a hand wheel 34 by means of which it may berotated to raise and lower the arm 21 and attached bar 22. A chaintightener35 is necessary to take up the slack in the chain 24 and thuscompensate for the variation in the distance between shafts 20 and 26when the disk 18 is raised and lowered. Owing to the ne adjustmentbetween the centersof the driving and driven disks obtainable by meansof the screw 30, the ratios between the driving and driven speed may becontrolledwith extreme accuracy.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination with a machine frame provided with a pair ofuprights, of a sleeve surrounding one of said uprights, a fixed armcarried by said sleeve, a pair of friction disks mounted thereon, apivotal arm also carried by said sleeve, a friction disk mounted thereonand movable in the direction of its axis, said third disk being movableradially between said first named disks by the movementof said pivotalarm, a driving shaft carried on the other upright, and a flexibledriving conneclion between said shaft and said third dis 2. Thecombination with a machine frame provided with a pair of uprights, of asleeve surrounding one of said uprights, a fixed arm carried by saidsleeve, a pivoted arm also the arm 21 on its pivot 28 and thus move thedisk 18 relative to the carried by said sleeve, a friction membercomprising a pair of disks mounted on one of said arms, a frictionmember comprising a third disk mounted on the other of said arms andmovable in the direction of its aXis, said third disk being ,positioned`between said first named disks, said friction lmembers being movablerelatively in a radial direction by the movement of said pivoted arm, adriving shaft carried on the other upright,and aeXible drivingconnection between said shaft and the friction member mounted onthepivotedY arm.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature, this lst'day ofFebruary, 1928. i CHESLEY T. SMALL.

